Without Kage Bunshin
by EbonyMoonBlade
Summary: What if Naruto passed the Genin Exam on his own abilities? Without his signature technique, how will he survive the early years of his shinobi career?
1. Chapter 1

Without Kage Bunshin

Chapter 1: I Refuse to Fail

What he was about to do would require him to swallow his pride in the meager skills that he had scraped together over the years. The same skills that he had spent countless hours, days, and years honing, but it was never enough, he would still fail. Despite all the grueling efforts, he could not pass the Genin Exam. Uzumaki Naruto had already failed twice and his third attempt was drawing near, but should he fail a third time there would be no more second chances. If he failed he could never be a shinobi, much less the greatest Hokage of all.

Taking a breath to steel his nerves, the orange clad boy swallowed his pride and opened the door to the almost abandoned classroom to do the one thing he had sworn never to do.

"Iruka sensei…" Naruto began.

The tanned teacher twitched for he had not noticed that he was no longer alone. He scratched his face near the horizontal scar over the bridge of his nose sheepishly, knowing that as a shinobi he should be aware of his surroundings at all times even here in Konoha. He glanced at the door to see one of his favorite, if unruly students. Iruka put his pen down and turned to face his student, glad to have an excuse not to grade papers for a short while. He gestured for Naruto to sit, given the child's uncharacteristically timid posture; he was clearly here to ask for something.

Naruto took a seat in the offered chair. "Iruka sensei… I need help." The student just barely managed to avoid stuttering in the act of swallowing his pride.

"Help with what?" Iruka asked. "Your grades?" He guessed. He opened one of the drawers in his desk and started rummaging around for his grade book.

"Yes, I mean no, I mean… Wait, what? What about my grades? I'm here 'cuz I'm probably going to fail the Exam again!"

Iruka had found what he was looking for in the grade book and gave Naruto a wry grin. "You done?" Naruto halted himself mid-tirade and nodded confusedly. Iruka showed him the grade book and pointed at the bottom row, the row depicting the grades Naruto had accumulated over the course of the semester. There were an uncomfortable number of zeroes shown. Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but Iruka cut him off. "As you can see, you have quite a few zeroes. It speaks highly of your skill that there are no failing grades among the assignments that you actually completed, but that does not make up for skipping so many assignments."

Naruto fumbled for words in his frustration before eventually managing to spit something out. "B-but I thought all that I had to do to become a Genin was pass the Genin Exam!"

Iruka frowned. "No Naruto, you have to graduate from this academy, and the Genin Exam is our final exam. The first time you took the Exam, you failed because you legitimately were not ready yet. Last time you decided that you no longer needed to show up to class except for test days. You would've needed to ace the Exam to have even the slightest chance of passing. If you're going to pass this year, Naruto, you will need to show up for class every day for the rest of the semester, you will need to do all of your homework, and you will need to study hard for the final exams."

"Oh, I got an idea! Is there any way to make up the work I missed when I was skipping?"

The scarred sensei shook his head, "No, I can't let you make up work that you missed during an unexcused absence, you know that."

Naruto had his eyes squinted shut in deep thought. "So it's still possible to pass?"

Iruka took a few seconds to crunch the numbers in his head. "Yes, but you will need every point you can get your hands on. No matter what, you'll be cutting it close."

"Yeah, I think I can do that. I can't afford to fail again. No, I refuse to fail again! I'm going to be Hokage someday! I can do this!" Naruto was running around and jumping and waving his arms like a loony, His confidence in himself had returned.

Iruka had dug a packet of papers out from somewhere in the depths of his desk. "Naruto. Naruto! Pay attention!" He cleared his throat. "This here is the study guide for the Genin Exam. It has every possible question that could be asked in the written portion of the Exam. I hand these out to the class one month prior to the end of school and you have neglected to attend class that day three semesters in a row! Here."

Naruto took the packet into his hands and held it carefully, as if it were more valuable than gold and more important to life than the nectar of the gods. He gingerly began to flip through the pages.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS? It's full of blanks! It's longer than the entire Exam was too." The orange clad child glared at his sensei whose amused expression clearly held malevolent laughter.

"Well, I can't just give you the answers." Naruto's glare increased in intensity one hundred fold. "Also, I did say that it had every question that could possibly be asked of you. There is a map of Fire Country to be filled out, and a map of the world. There is a fill in the blanks of the Shinobi Code of Conduct, Several theoretical scenarios that have to have proper mission reports made for them, and several hundred multiple choice general knowledge that civilian high school students would be expected to know. That is the study guide for the entire theoretical portion of the Genin Exam. There is also the practical portion, but you've always done well on that with the exception of Ninjutsu."

Naruto looked at the packet and made his decision. "It'll be hard and boring, but I'm gonna do it! I will do this paperwork, I will come to class and I will study hard! I will pass the Exam and I will become a Genin! And then I will have finally made the first step on the path to Hokage!"

Iruka snorted, "Don't get ahead of yourself now, you still need to pass." The teacher grinned and looked his student in the eye. "Talk is cheap, so get to work."

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For Naruto the rest of the semester flew by. There was barely enough time for him to complete the packet he had been working on, and he didn't even have a chance to polish his Ninjutsu, or make one last hurrah for his career as a prankster before he settled down and became a shinobi. Those who were regular victims of Naruto's creativity had become twitchy and paranoid over the last few weeks, convinced that he had set up the prank to end all pranks. At first, the sight of Naruto working diligently at school had stopped the productivity of his classmates, some of which merely stared at the odd sight, while others claimed that this had to be an imposter. As the days and weeks passed by, this too settled down as the Academy students got used to the sight of Naruto doing class work with minimal complaint.

This was the train of thought of Uzumaki Naruto as he waited his turn for the Practical Ninjutsu portion of the exam. He was confident in his ability to pass as he felt that the written portions of his exam had been passed, although probably not aced. As he was called to enter the testing room, Naruto suppressed a flicker a doubt before it entered his posture as he strode forwards although he did not have to as there were no longer any students remaining in the lecture hall. They had all already finished the exam and had returned with or without the forehead protector that denoted their newly acquired status as a shinobi of Konoha.

Naruto silently opened the door to the testing chamber, hoping to make a good first impression on the proctor. Upon entering the room, he took note of his surroundings, just as the texts said that he should. Across from him was an open window small enough that he would have been able to fit through a year ago. To his left there was a single wooden stool; to his right there was a large desk with two Chunin that he did not recognize seated behind. Both Chunin held a clipboard with a large stack of papers attached. Between them lay Naruto's objective; one of those half dozen headbands would be his.

The practical Ninjutsu portion of the Genin Exam consisted of adequate performance of three basic techniques, the Henge, Kawarimi, and Bunshin. The Henge is a simple illusion that allows the user to take the guise of another person. It is created by making a thin shell of chakra around yourself and molding it into the proper form. Naruto had spent years perfecting this technique as he immediately saw its many and varied applications in pranking. He had also gone on to modify the jutsu far beyond its original function, but that was neither here nor now. The proctors wanted to see a regular Henge, not his invaluable super Henge.

Naruto stood from the stool and casually made the requisite hand seals. In a plume of smoke he had transformed into one of the proctors, long, spiky, black hair and bandage across the bridge of his nose and all. He sat back down on the stool and attempted to match the Chunin's posture as best he could. Naruto did not make the mistake of speaking as he had yet to hear the voice of the man he had turned into and therefore could not mimic his speech patterns. Both proctors remained stone faced but marks were made on their clipboards.

The Kawarimi is an escape technique that allows its user to swap his or her body with a pre prepared object, typically a log of some sort. Once an object is marked, it is invisibly linked to its shinobi. Once needed, the shinobi will pull on the link and will switch places with the object. The sensation can be compared to the snapping of a bungee cord. Naruto is convinced that the Kawarimi is the wimpy way out of any sticky situation, but then again he has yet to be in a situation with more severe consequences than being publicly humiliated in front of the other students. The Genin-to-be does not like the technique, but he knows that one day it may be vital to his well being, and so he had dutifully practiced it over the years.

Again, the orange clad academy student stood from the stool. He made no hand seals and discretely tapped his heel against a leg of the stool. Naruto took several steps away from the stool and indicated that he was ready. The spiky haired proctor that Naruto had transformed into earlier stood up to the kid and attempted to make a grab. He was rewarded with a puff of smoke and a stool in hand. Naruto stood exactly where the stool once sat. The proctor nodded in approval and tossed the stool back to him. Once again, marks were made on the clipboards.

The Bunshin is supposed to be a simple technique, similar in execution to the Henge. A Bunshin is an incorporeal chakra construct in the image of its creator. It is created by producing a fine mist of chakra separate from the body and molding it into a thin film in your image Naruto knows that the Bunshin is supposed to be no more than a distraction, but he doesn't believe it would make a very good distraction since any halfway decent sensor would notice the flare of chakra. This opinion has nothing to do with his difficulties in performing the jutsu correctly, no siree.

Still standing from performing the Kawarimi, Naruto took a calming breath, and prayed to whatever deities were out there that we would perform a proper Bunshin this one time. He made the hand seals and announced the technique. In three plumes of smoke appeared three images of Naruto. They were the correct size and shape and had the correct features. They were pale skinned and pale clothed with blue lips. Naruto had conjured three clones that looked like they had been asphyxiated to death. Both proctors were clearly amused as they began to total up Naruto's score.

The boy in question was mortified. He had been so close, so close! He made three clones as required. They had only been off in color! He slumped onto the stool and began to sink into a depression. He was sure that he had failed and had ruined his last chance to become a shinobi of Konoha, his dream of Hokage forever beyond his grasp.

"Hey Uzumaki, get up and grab a headband, you're a shinobi now." Dazedly the newly minted Genin did as told. With forehead protector in hand he absently left the examination room.

He made it all the way to the hallway beyond the lecture hall before shouting in glee.

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So this is my first fanfic. The idea is that if Naruto passed the Genin exam on his own ability, and therefore does not get tricked into retrieving the forbidden scroll for Mizuki and not learning Kage Bunshin, how Naruto's story changes from there. However, rather than just passing out of dumb luck, here he has asked for help, and in return has obtained a study guide, which will cause other changes, such as some slight amount of rational intelligence occurring within Naruto every once in a while. I believe that learning Kage Bunshin so early in his career really stunted Naruto's growth as a ninja as all he had to do was throw a ton of clones at all of his problems, rather than coming up with something creative or skillful.

Please Read and Review

EbonyMoonBlade


	2. Chapter 2

Without Kage Bunshin

Chapter 2: A Theft and Would-Be Genin

Sarutobi Hiruzen is a man feared throughout the world as the God of Shinobi. He is infamous for his absolute mastery of every branch of the shinobi arts as well as the mastery of thousands upon thousands of Ninjutsu. He was made Hokage during the First Secret War and retained that position well past his prime. Today, the Third Hokage is taking a break from his work to celebrate the initiation into the shinobi ranks of the son of his would –be successor and surrogate grandson, Uzumaki Naruto.

At the Ichiraku ramen stand the orange clad Genin ate ramen with an almost unnatural speed and gusto all while telling an exaggeration of the Genin Exam to the Hokage and the young waitress, Ichiraku's daughter Ayame. Apparently he had been tasked with the rescue of a princess from a squad of rogue Jounin. After painstakingly tracking them down Naruto had been ambushed and surrounded by the lot of them. Fortunately, by virtue of being Uzumaki Freakin' Naruto, asses were kicked and the day was saved.

This was part of a game between a child and the Hokage. This is the storytelling game where one must tell a story and elaborate when asked without losing a beat. This is how a child is being taught how to craft entire personalities and how they interact the things in the story on the fly. The old man sees the benefits of knowing how to tell a story, how to craft an alias, how to think, how to lie. The child only sees a fun storytelling game.

Occasionally the wise old man would tell a riveting tale, and the child would struggle to find questions to ask. After all, where does one begin to question the delicately and intricately woven tale that has infinite beginnings, infinite ends, and each and every character has a story worth telling. Even young Naruto was capable of seeing that the Hokage's tales were not distinct and separate from each other, but rather small shards of a whole wide world with a vast and eventful history.

Sarutobi was interrupted from asking what kind of terrain the battle between Naruto and the rogue Jounin occurred on by an ANBU messenger with alarming news. As he heard the dire news, the Hokage's face hardened. The wise old man began to turn into the Professor, feared wide and far, right before the youngling's eyes.

The situation at large was disquieting; some thief had the gall to break into the Hokage's own house and into his inner sanctum in the light of day and steal one of the most dangerous artifacts in the Village Hidden in the Leaves; The Forbidden Scroll of Sealing. This is an incredibly valuable scroll detailing all of the Ninjutsu whose usage is forbidden as per the mandate of the Second Hokage. The Scroll was heavily guarded within the safety of the Hokage mansion through many arcane Fuuinjutsu wards. Any thief capable of successfully stealing the Scroll would be extremely skillful, lucky, or well informed. Judging by the fact the thief had been spotted by a nearby patrolling Chunin the Professor could most likely rule out skillful.

The Professor issued a command, "Rally the Jounin, we have a thief to catch." As the ANBU agent Shunshined away, the Professor glanced at the young Genin at his side. His old heart warmed at the sight of the determination that had entered the young boy's features. He was clearly eager to help in some way; the Will of Fire burned bright as day within this one. With children as bright as this one, surely the future will not be as bleak as the war torn past. Once more he gave a command, this time in the voice of the kind old man, "Naruto, would you like your first assignment as a Genin?"

The boy stood at attention, only twitching slightly under the Hokage's grandfatherly gaze in a visible effort to keep himself from jumping around in excitement. He saluted, "Sure old man! What do ya need?" The Hokage leveled an even gaze at him. "Uh, I mean, Yes sir!"

"Genin Uzumaki Naruto, your first D Rank mission is to retrieve for me my scrying orb and bring it to me ASAP. Do you remember where it is held?" He tapped the forehead protector that Naruto had laid on the counter after he had shown it off the kind people who worked here. Doing so placed a miniscule identification tag onto it so that his secretary and ANBU guards would allow the child to do what he needed to in his office without delay.

The boy slumped slightly in disappointment that he would not get to take part directly in chasing the thief down. Noticing this, Naruto grabbed the Hitai-ate and put it on in an attempt to hide his restlessness from the Hokage. He then snapped to attention, "Yes sir! Your crystal ball is in your desk, bottom drawer on the left, right?" The Hokage nodded in conformation and signaled for the boy to begin his mission.

Later, Naruto would watch as Sarutobi used the orb to track down the thief, Touji Mizuki, a Chunin who taught Taijutsu at the Academy. Through the orb he saw his former sensei apprehended by a squad of Jounin entire minutes after the old man had located him. As Mizuki was taken in for questioning, the boy would only wonder what was so important about the scroll that required the deployment of every Jounin in the village.

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Hatake Kakashi is a tortured soul. At a young age, his beloved and well respected father, Sakumo the White Fang committed seppuku on the shame of have abandoned the mission for the sake of his team. This colored young Kakashi's thought for many years to come until one tragic mission where his closest friend Obito sacrificed himself for the sake of his friend. The Uchiha's words would change Kakashi into a man who values teamwork above all else. His suffering would not end merely with the loss of his father and best friend. Shortly after, his mentor Namikaze Minato would meet his end in an effort to seal away the dreaded Kyuubi no Kitsune. Following that, his other teammate and last remaining friend Rin would go AWOL after a particularly disastrous mission into Ame.

Kakashi joined the ANBU corps in an attempt to drown his grief in the soul numbing work associated with it. He spent the next several years working his way up the ranks up until he made it all the way to the top. As the ANBU Commander, his subordinates loved him not only for his skill at leading squads of shinobi, but also for his talent in being able to get them all out alive. A few years ago, he retired from the ANBU to return to life as an ordinary Jounin. Those that Kakashi encountered at this point in his life began to fear him as Copy-Nin Kakashi, the man who has copied and mastered over a thousand Ninjutsu with his single Sharingan eye.

He is one of the most skilled Jounin that Konoha has, and some believe that he is next in line for the title of Hokage. Those that know just how broken he is on the inside fear for the day that this may come to pass. They know of how Kakashi spends every last minute of what little free time he has standing in front of one particular memorial stone, never allowing himself to forget or forgive himself for his past failings. They know of how he emulates the errant ways of his deceased friend in order to keep his memory alive. They know of how his rivalry with Maito Gai is the only thing that keeps him human these days.

Kakashi alone is responsible for nearly a tenth of the Shinobi Academy's remedial class over the last several years. Every semester he is given a team of Genin to test. For several years Kakashi has failed entire teams of Genin because they have not had the one thing that he looks for: the ability to put the team above the mission, even on day one. No team of Genin fresh from the Academy can realistically be expected to perform that well, and it shows.

This year, his prospective Genin squad awaits him in the otherwise empty Academy senior class lecture hall. They have already let the Copy-Nin know what they think of his tardiness in the form of a chalkboard eraser wedged at the top of the sliding door. How strongly they feel about it will depend on the follow up to a simple prank.

The Elite Jounin opened the sliding door and allowed the eraser to land on his head, releasing a cloud of chalk dust. He sniffed, checking for toxins with the dust cloud, knowing that his mask protected him from such poisons. There are none to be found. It seems that the children are not yet feeling murderous towards him. Also, no follow up. It was a very poor trap, or a very good trap, if they are trying to trick him into thinking that they are incompetent.

Kakashi noticed the way that the pink haired girl suppressed a giggle before berating the laughing blonde prankster and apologizing profusely to him for the boy's troublemaking ways. She approved of the trick, but was unwilling to stand by it in the face of an authority figure. She is very clearly civilian raised as evidenced by her many bad habits that civilians tend to have. Her thin frame suggests that the girl attempts to diet in addition to her training in an attempt to look thin. Her dress is designed for fashion rather than function. Only by civilian standards is such as dress considered durable. Kakashi refrained from mentally noting her hair based on his own naturally silver (not gray) hair. The girl's mannerisms suggest that she already has complete trust in him for the simple fact that he is an authority figure. She does not question the world around her nearly enough to be a shinobi.

Kakashi turned his eye to the boy seated at the desks whose brow was twitching in irritation. This is Uchiha Sasuke, last remaining blood relative to Obito that is loyal to Konoha. The boy has very poor emotional control and was very likely already questioning Kakashi's legitimacy as a Jounin. He has a thin, wiry frame built for flexibility and speed. His clothes are built for combat rather than for stealth. Sasuke is most likely in that stage of development where a powerful jutsu is preferred to a subtle one, and he will most likely stay in that stage for a very long time based on his well known desire for vengeance. There is a high probability of future desertion form Konoha for the pursuit of power.

Finally Kakashi's attention turned to Uzumaki Naruto, infamous Prankster King of Konoha, self-proclaimed future Hokage, and resident Jinchuuriki. Based on what the Jounin knew what the child could do with three hours, he deduced that the boy must have gained some measure of patience since the last time he sent a squad of Chunin on a wild goose chase throughout all of Konoha. Or he could have entertained himself in other ways. Also, the little brat was still laughing at him. The laughter overlays the entirety of the boy's other mannerisms at the moment, making it difficult for Kakashi to get a good read on him other than the fact that he finds obvious hilarity in the event of a successful prank. A good shinobi would do this kind of action to prevent someone from seeing his deeper emotions. A poor shinobi would genuinely feel only amusement, and there would be no underneath the underneath. To determine which Naruto is, would require more observation.

These observations were made within the span of three heartbeats, the time it took for Kakashi to decide to tell the kids that he didn't like them. After informing the children that they would be doing introductions on the rooftop, he Shunshined away, leaving only a small wisp of smoke.

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Here's chapter 2! I decided to play around with perspectives, thinking that the first meeting of Team 7 would be more interesting from Kakashi's POV, and I think that I did a good job of it. I also think that I successfully managed to make Sarutobi's perspective distinctly different from Kakashi's, even Naruto's from the first chapter. Also, in canon Naruto had this idea in his head that heroes always arrive at the last second and I don't think that the manga ever told us where he got that idea from. Well I thought, what better way than through a storytelling game with the Hokage! Naruto begins to learn how to tell a story, but doesn't realize that he is learning something important.

I would love to hear what you think. Read and Review please.

Thank you and have a nice day.

EbonyMoonBlade


	3. Chapter 3

Without Kage Bunshin

Chapter 3: Day One and the Lay of the Land

**Bold: Inner Sakura**

Starting today, Haruno Sakura is a Genin! For years now she has worked her fingers to the bone, run through katas until it felt like her legs would wither away and most importantly, she had studied every text she could get her hands on until her mind was numb.

She had overcome adversity in the older shinobi who constantly reminded her that nobody expects her to be talented or even capable at all just because she was born and raised in a civilian household. Sakura had even overcome her own parents, who had panicked when they realized that their precious little girl really was serious about becoming a kunoichi and that this wasn't just a phase. However, the girl put her foot down, and overrode their concerns. She was gonna protect the innocent the same way that her family was protected during their move to Konoha, and she is gonna become the next Mrs. Uchiha, too!

Sakura examined herself in her mirror to make sure that she looked perfect for her first day as a real shinobi, no longer just an Academy student. As a graduation present, Sakura's parents had gotten her a pretty red battle dress, fit for the summer heat that would come within just a few short months. It even had her family's symbol, a white ring emblazoned on it. The girl glanced at her hair and was still half surprised to see blue and metal in the place where she was used to seeing her red ribbon.

Or rather, Ino's ribbon. Back when Sakura had still been new enough to Konoha to be considered the new kid, Ino had been her only friend and she had given Sakura her precious red ribbon after the other girls had teased her about her forehead.

Nowadays, she and Ino were no longer friends, but rather rivals competing for the affections of a certain Uchiha Sasuke. Yesterday Sakura had given the ribbon back to Ino saying that she was no longer the meek little girl who needed her hand held every step of the way. They were rivals, not only in love, but also as ninja. Someday they would fight and both girls would wear their forehead protectors properly as a symbol of the significance of the battle.

Confident that not a hair was out of place, Sakura turned away from the mirror and headed for the academy. Today is the day that all the graduates would be split up into squads of three. With any luck, she would get to be on the same squad as Sasuke!

On the way to the Academy, Sakura sighted Uzumaki Naruto, sunny blonde hair, signature orange jumpsuit and all. He was walking back to his apartment with a carton of milk in hand. **Uh, not that I know where he lives or anything… **Fool must've run out and only realized just this morning, how careless of him.

Sakura decided to slip on out of the area before her unwanted admirer finished with his errand and started making his own way to the Academy. After all, the blonde boy always made a big fuss about being rivals with Sasuke, as if he were anywhere close to being in the same league as the almost effortlessly skillful Number One Rookie of the Year. Besides the pinkette couldn't allow herself to be seen willingly associating with her beloved's self proclaimed rival, it might hurt her chances of ever being with Sasuke. **Come to think of it, Sasuke has never outright denied the existence of this rivalry, and he always takes time out of his busy schedule to put Naruto in his place whenever he gets too obnoxious.**

Upon entering the designated lecture hall where the Genin squads would be announced, Sakura could've squealed in joy. In all of his aloof calm coolness, there he was; Uchiha Sasuke, the man of her dreams. For a moment the girl stood transfixed by his handsome features. She marveled at the way his cool, aloof attitude made its way into every aspect of his posture, most predominately she saw the elegant way his hands were clasped in front of his face, while he rested his jaw on them. From the faraway look in his eyes, her beloved must be deep in contemplation.

More importantly than that, was the fact that the seat next to him was empty, and it was hers for the taking! **Move girl! Go for it before someone else does, I hear Ino-pig's hooves clomping in the distance!**

And so, Sakura got the prized honor and privilege of being seated next to Uchiha Sasuke. She would not notice when Naruto and Ino entered at the same time, exactly when this final day at the Academy was scheduled to begin. She would not notice when the blonde boy sat next to her, only making half hearted passes at her in the face of her being so completely enraptured with Sasuke until Iruka sensei arrived to announce how the Genin would be sorted. **How odd, that idiot never even tried to hit on me. I hope that nothing's wrong with him. He may be obnoxious and annoying, but at least he tries to be nice. Maybe he hasn't been bugging me because he has been too busy studying for once in his life. I mean, he even stopped pulling pranks for a while. A shame really, his stuff tends to be better than television.**

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It has been nearly three hours since the teams were announced. Sakura had very nearly embarrassed herself by shouting her joy at being placed in Sasuke's squad in front of the whole class, but she didn't care. True love had won the day, just as it should! Naruto hadn't even decided to ruin it for the girl by attempting to steal her away from her prince charming. However, even the excitement of being alone with Sasuke couldn't last in the face of three whole hours of waiting, especially since Sakura couldn't talk herself into making a move on her crush. **Apparently, when Naruto takes a snooze, his very existence is nullified.**

Sakura saw Naruto groggily awaken from his nap, glance at the clock, and immediately move to the door to check to see if the sensei was in the hallway or not. Upon seeing that that no one was around, especially not a sensei-like figure Naruto began to set up his first prank in over a month. It was simple and harmless, but to the point. The blonde boy had wedged an eraser into the sliding door so that when one was to enter the room, it would fall on their head. **Heh, go for boy! I love stuff like this!**

Sasuke took this time to speak up, Sakura heard amusement and disbelief, as well as a hint of suppressed laughter in is regal voice. "Pfft, like a Jounin would fall for such a stupid booby trap." Sakura was about to voice an agreement, but then the door began to open, and the chalkboard eraser landed on a head of gray hair in cloud of chalk dust.

Sakura was mortified; Naruto had decided to prank the sensei for being so ridiculously late by wedging an eraser in the door, and it had worked somehow. **Three hours late! That is absolutely unacceptable, quality time with Sasuke or not! **Then the Jounin announced that he already did not like them. And it's all that idiot Naruto's fault! **But ya gotta admit that eraser prank went far better than anyone could've ever expected. Hell yeah! **

The sensei for Team Seven was tall, even for an adult. He wore a standard issue Jounin flak jacket and blue jumpsuit. His black, fingerless gloves had metal plates with a Leaf insignia engraved on them attached the back of his hands. He wore a black facemask and his headband was tilted to cover up one of his eyes. His hair stood up at an odd, almost gravity defying angle due to this. **Humph. Betcha that he electrocutes himself to get his hair stick up like that. Then he wears the mask to cover up the electrical burns. Three hours late! What kind of Jounin could be so goddamn irresponsible?**

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Shortly the team moved out to the Academy rooftop to do introductions. After a small push from Naruto and Sakura, the sensei gave his intro first. All that was learned was a name: Hatake Kakashi. He then gestured for Naruto to go next.

The boy fidgeted and adjusted his headband. "I like ramen! And pranks! I dislike the three minutes it takes for remain to cook and I also don't like to study." His voice shifted to take on a slight edge of desperation born of loneliness. "My dream is to someday become Hokage so that everyone will acknowledge me!" Kakashi nodded and told Sasuke to go next.

When the dark haired boy began to speak, there was an almost uncalled for amount of determination in his voice. He spoke of how his ambition was to avenge his clan and bring it back to greatness. When he spoke of how he would kill That Man, the determination in his voice was not that of a child of his age. The tone in his voice spoke of darkness and pain and hatred. It spoke of a willingness to throw away everything for this ambition, even at the risk of seeping his hands in madness.

The children didn't notice, but at this, Kakashi's features momentarily hardened. It was just as he thought; Sasuke would be trouble. He was the kind of child that could not be trusted to put the good of Konoha above his own ambitions under any circumstances.

When it was Sakura's turn to speak, she didn't do much speaking at all. Her likes, hobbies, and dreams are Sasuke, Sasuke, and Sasuke. It was said less in words than in blushing, giggling, and swooning. And she dislikes her rival, Ino-pig. Kakashi earnestly hoped that if this team really were to pass his test, that there was more to this girl than meets the eye, after all sometimes there is no underneath the underneath.

Before leaving via Shunshin, the Jounin announced that tomorrow that they would have a survival training test against him that had a 66 percent failure rate, and that it would be so difficult that if the Genin were to eat breakfast, they would surely throw up.

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Later that day Uchiha Sasuke entered Training Ground 4, the location of tomorrow's survival training. He was here to do some scouting, as no proper shinobi should blindly go into such a potentially life altering experience without as much as an ounce of preparation.

Just after sunset is a good time to do scouting as the premature night is dark enough to create dark little corners to adequately hide oneself while being light enough out to be able to accurately see and analyze things unassisted. In addition, today there would be a full moon, so the night would be at its brightest if this reconnaissance took longer than expected.

The Uchiha stood in the central clearing of the training ground. The first thing that drew his attention was the three large stumps. The training posts were situated several meters away from the center of the clearing, surrounded for the most part by thick woodlands. There was a large stream that cut through the area a couple dozen meters away from the Genin. Several meters behind the training posts sat a large crystalline rock, with dozens, if not hundreds of names inscribed onto its surface. It was clearly a memorial stone, a tribute to all of the brave shinobi that perished in the service of Konoha.

The boy walked into the woods searching for more clearings suitable for open battle. He noted all of the little nooks and crannies that could be used to hide a person, as well as all the ways the environment could be used to lay traps. Sasuke wasn't fool enough to think that nothing could escape his eyes, but as far as he could tell there was no more than an ordinary forest to be seen. Whoever takes care of the training ground sure does a good job of obscuring the evidence of whatever damages had occurred in the past.

Sasuke contemplated the idea of tipping the scales to his advantage by setting his own vast array of traps, but he decided against it. There was no point in ruining the opportunity of being taught by an elite Jounin with the use of such petty tricks. After all a fair fight always more difficult than one that is stacked in your favor. The best way to achieve strength is to pit oneself against superior opponents. The only way to defeat Him would be to work his way up until he could defeat the likes of Kakashi with ease.

The Genin shook his head to clear his mind. Such thoughts would not serve him well at the moment. The day of vengeance was still well beyond the horizon.

As he made his way back to the central clearing, Sasuke's gaze turned to the moon as he began to contemplate the merits of his… teammates.

Sakura was one of the girls who constantly hounded him because they found him to be attractive, or something. Perhaps this was for the best, since the pinkette happened to be one of the more timid of his fangirls in that she wasn't very likely to do more than make googly eyes at him so long as there was no one else present competing for his affection. In addition, she was the brightest student academically in the whole class. Sakura is a veritable library of information only tangentially related to the arts of the shinobi. With her around, Sasuke wouldn't have to waste time learning things that weren't directly beneficial to his revenge. Also, while she couldn't be counted on in a fight, the girl was most likely smart enough to stay out of the way.

Naruto however, was Sasuke's rival. There was no question about how useful it would be to keep him around. Sasuke was one of the few who realized just how devious the blonde boy was, even if the Genin in question had no clue of it himself. Naruto had successfully fooled the entire class, if not the entire village into believing that he was no more than a loud, brash, incompetent idiot despite being a fully successful prankster in a village teeming with active shinobi.

Naruto has more important things than strength, or skill, or even smarts. He has tenacity, and the drive to keep going, even when things look impossible. He is cleverer than most people give him credit for, and a knack for the unpredictable. These are things that will be necessary to overcome That Man. These are the things that cannot be learned from any scroll or any sensei. These are the things that can only be learned through combat; through clashing wills with Naruto again and again. This in addition to the unfettered nature of both boys drive to achieve their nearly unattainable ambitions will do more than merely keep Sasuke sharp.

The Uchiha made his way to the memorial stone and kneeled before it, brushing his fingers against the names of fallen heroes under the light of the midnight sun. He stopped at one name in particular, _Uchiha Obito. _For a single moment, he remembered all of those who were lost in a single night. Obito was not one of the clansmen who were killed that day, but he was Uchiha and that's all that mattered to Sasuke. Once more, a boy far too young to be seeking revenge vowed to restore his clan beyond its former glory, and to kill That Man.

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Author's Note

Thanks to those who have reviewed.

I think that this one came out rather well. I really like the Inner/Outer Sakura dynamic. Can you tell? I figure that Outer Sakura is the sweet, innocent, studious, good little girl whose only aggressive tendencies are her rivalry with Ino and aggravation with Naruto. Inner Sakura is everything else that does not fit into that persona such as a concern for Naruto's change in behavior, and a bucketload of witty snark among other things.

I think I've done a decent job of fleshing out the characters before starting up the plot. Next chapter is the Bell Test and after that, we can get the ball rollin.

EbonyMoonBlade


	4. Chapter 4

Without Kage Bunshin

Chapter 4: Prelude of the Bell Test

Today was the day that would determine how much of this year's batch of rookie Genin would get to stay in their cells and be taught the basics of the shinobi by one Konoha's prestigious Elite Jounin, and how many of them would be sent back to the Academy for remedial tutoring and would consequently be graduated into the obscurity of the rank and file Chunin after several years of study.

In the central clearing of Training Ground 4 stood two prospective Genin armed to the teeth with every last ounce of equipment that they thought could be useful for the upcoming 'survival training' against Hatake Kakashi. Both of them showed some level of irritation and anticipation due to having been forced to wait for nearly three whole hours yet again for their sensei to arrive.

The pink haired girl, Haruno Sakura, fidgeted with her red dress before opening her equipment pouches to make sure that all of her weapons were in prime condition and all of her other goodies were all still there for the fourth time this hour. She couldn't even muster the effort to attempt to flirt with her one and only even though he was sitting right over by the training posts in prime flirting range due to the anxiety of having to take such a life changing and potentially life threatening test.

Said love interest, Uchiha Sasuke, almost looked for all the world to be aloof and unconcerned for the events soon to come. However, even he could not suppress a need to tap his left foot in anticipation, or the desire to sharpen his kunai knives again, for the third time today. He looked up from his task to see the third Genin return from the depths of the forest.

Uzumaki Naruto had been unable to contain his pent up energy and excitement to the upcoming trial, and so he had run off into the woods to explore. He returned to the central clearing at a nearly sedate pace with a cheery grin. In his arms he held three apples. He tossed one to each of the other Genin before taking a bite out of his own.

The blonde boy was forced to explain himself without preamble when his teammates only looked at him funny rather that outright questioning the fact that he had defied the Jounin's clear order not to eat before the test, and clearly expected them to follow in his stead.

He spoke after swallowing his first bite of apple, savoring the way Sasuke's and Sakura's stomachs rumbled in direct response to seeing him eat in front of them. "I'm starting to think that sensei is being late on purpose." He looked up at the sky, attempting to use the angle of the sun to calculate the time. "That bastard is nearly three hours late. Again. I think that us being hungry is part of his test."

Sakura opened her mouth to protest that disobeying a teacher is wrong, but her stomach cut her off by rumbling once again, how embarrassing. It was then that the girl realized that skipping dinner last night as per her diet, and then proceeding to skip breakfast as per Kakashi's demands was not the wisest of moves. She picked up her apple and scarfed it down like she hadn't eaten in days.

Before Sakura threw the core away, Sasuke spoke up, "The core too. It's probably all that we'll get to eat before the test is over." Now that she looked, neither Naruto nor Sasuke had their apple any more. In the time it had taken her to decide to eat her apple, both boys had devoured theirs.

Shortly after Sakura had managed to choke down her bitter apple core, Hatake Kakashi, Team Seven's Jounin ambled into the clearing as if he wasn't horrendously late. He greeted the Genin good morning even as he steadfastly ignored Naruto and Sakura's tirade about his tardiness in favor of setting a clock atop the middle training post.

Kakashi began to lay out the rules for today's excursion. He patted the clock, "Okay, this thing is set for noon." The Jounin held up two silver bells and made them jingle to draw their attention. "Your task is to take these from me before the time runs out." He pointed at the training posts. "Those that don't have a bell by noon get no lunch. Not only will I tie you to one of the stumps, but I'll also eat in front of you."

Kakashi noted the way that the kids tried to hide the fact that they had just eaten apples from him by making horribly exaggerated faces that were supposed to imply that they were having hunger pains."You only have to get one bell. There are only two, so one of you will definitely be tied to the stump, and the person who doesn't take a bell fails, so one of you will definitely be sent back to the Academy. The dark look in the masked man's eye didn't fade even as he saw that the team's solidarity didn't immediately shatter. Also, you're free to use kunai and shuriken. If you don't come at me with intent to kill, you won't succeed.

Naruto interrupted Sakura from saying something that was probably incredibly naïve, judging by the concern in her eyes by laughing and declaring that using weapons wouldn't be a good idea because Kakashi couldn't even dodge an eraser. The arrogant little shit even claimed that they could kill Kakashi, an Elite Jounin with ease!

Kakashi needed to make an example out of someone to reclaim some of his legitimacy as a Jounin, and Naruto had just volunteered. He knew the perfect way to goad the brash boy into charging at him with reckless abandon; by dismissing him as incompetent. "In the real world, those without talent often bark the loudest." He made a dismissive gesture. "Well, ignore the dobe, and we'll start when I say go."

The orange clad boy's entire body twitched in anger and indignity just as expected. He extracted a kunai from pouch attached to his right leg, palmed it with a flourish, and blindly charged at the man who had been a blooded soldier for longer that he had been alive. The Jounin proceeded to move half a dozen meters faster the Genin could see. The children were all stunned at the casual way Kakashi displayed such extraordinary speed and dexterity such that Naruto's assault had been stopped in a split second with the boy's own blade still in hand, and was poised to strike at the base of his skull. Now satisfied in knowing that the children now knew to respect his power, released Naruto and chided him for starting before he said go.

Kakashi stepped back to his original position and took a good look at the Genin. He saw the way Sasuke's eye narrowed in the anticipation of a challenging battle. He saw the unnerved way Sakura held herself and the way her resolve was crumbling. Clearly the only thing keeping her rooted to the spot was that Naruto and Sasuke clearly did not share her doubts. He saw the eerie way that Naruto stood totally still and the way his hair cast a shadow over his eyes. No, his right wrist just trembled; the boy was obviously still enraged. The chances that he would attack Kakashi again the moment he said go were almost absolute in certainty.

When Kakashi said to start, the Genin scattered, knowing that they could not take on a Jounin in a straight fight. Sasuke chose to hide in the treetops, not a very stealthily minded decision, but one that gave him a good tactical advantage. Being in the treetops gave him some amount of cover and a good vantage point to survey the battlefield. He would also be able to pick off anyone who dared to confront him directly with relative ease due to having the high ground. In addition, due to the way that Konoha shinobi are trained in the art of tree jumping from a young age, Sasuke would have several different escape routes with which to disengage.

Sakura however, chose to hide in the shadows underneath a clump of bushes on the outskirts of the central clearing. This was a good textbook example of a stealthy locale that would render her bright red clothing and pink hair largely irrelevant. Most ordinary people forget to look above their line of sight when looking for something, with that in mind all shinobi are trained to never forget to look up when searching for a threat. However, some novice shinobi then forget to look below their line of sight. Tactically, this is a very weak method of laying in wait. Due to her prone position and weak defensive position, Sakura would find it difficult to defend, attack, or retreat out from under her bushes should Kakashi choose to press an attack.

Naruto… was still standing right there in the middle of the clearing, still as a statue.

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Author's Note

Haha, cliffhanger! You know, actually I was going to do the entire bell test in this chapter, but I think that this is a good place to stop off. This is shorter than usual, but oh well. It's better to write form plot point to plot point that to write for length, as I say. So, changes in Naruto's knowledge base and skill set are beginning to have slight changes to the story. Note that Sakura has less animosity towards Naruto because he hasn't been bugging her as much lately as he had in canon. Also, apples.

Review Corner:

lHellol: Thanks, I'm glad you like my fic. Although I hope my story isn't that unique, I certainly don't feel like I'm doing anything that groundbreaking, although that could just be me being hard on myself. Also, yes I do have a plan. No spoilers, but I do have quite a bit mapped out. About your suggestion for the opening, while I don't think that I'll go back to edit the opening chapter as I like the way it flows, I may have something like that in the future in the form of a flashback. Still have to think on some specifics… I would like to hear more details on these mistakes that other fanfic authors seem to be making though.


	5. Chapter 5

Without Kage Bunshin

Chapter 5: Time of Dying

Back in the Academy, no one ever had time for a loser like Naruto. Nobody ever sat down and taught him how to fight save for Iruka sensei, but he wasn't enough. Iruka was a busy man and he didn't have time to have one-on-one sessions with the boy every time he didn't understand something right off the bat, which was most of the time. That didn't stop Naruto.

Since nobody was willing to teach Naruto, he went out looking for fights to observe. He observed the way alley cats and other animals fought among each other; he saw the flow of a drunken brawl, he saw the way a group of kids would bicker over a favored toy, or even the way his own peers fight. In his quest to achieve some amount of fighting prowess, Naruto would pick his own fights when he couldn't find something to observe. He knew that even if he got his ass kicked, that there would be something to be learned. The end result was a quirky Taijutsu style that was Naruto's and Naruto's alone. It wasn't the most effective fighting style in the world, but it tended to be unpredictable, and that suited the boy just fine.

When people speak of Naruto's skills or lack thereof, they always point out his failing grades, or the way he loses to Sasuke every single time they fight. They point out that he isn't talented at anything, citing the way he fails to do anything right the first, second, or even the tenth time. Nobody ever acknowledges that doesn't stop at ten tries. In the face of always losing to Sasuke, nobody ever remembers that he can nearly match the likes of Akimichi Choji in pure strength, or that he can fight as ferociously as Inuzuka Kiba, or even that he consistently forces Aburame Shino to be innovative in his planning. Nobody realizes that Uzumaki Naruto is the second most skilled Genin in one of the most talented graduating classes that Konoha's Shinobi Academy has ever produced. Or at least, that's what Naruto likes to think when he's feeling particularly confident in himself.

People have a tendency to remember what they want to remember, and first impressions are everything to them. Unfortunately for Naruto, this means that people still remember that bigheaded, screaming brat he once was, who had more bark than bite, and he wasn't even that good at barking. They remember the 'fight' that began an epic rivalry, the fight where Sasuke defeated Naruto effortlessly in their first encounter, in a single hit. They remember all of Naruto's failures and none of his successes. This is why there is no quicker way to incite the boy's rage than to dismiss him as a failure.

Naruto resisted every urge to yell and scream flail about in an impotent rage. He stood as still as he ever had before and contemplated the arrogant man before him. Hatake Kakashi, prospective Jounin sensei of Genin Squad Seven. This man was calm and cool and aloof and arrogant and infuriating. He was just like that bastard Sasuke, who makes everything look easy and dismisses Naruto's every achievement despite knowing just how hard he had to scrape and claw and struggle for every last mite of power, skill, or knowledge. No, Hatake was worse, because he dismissed Naruto out of hand; before even seeing for himself how good or bad the Genin was at anything!

The orange clad boy wouldn't stand for it! He'd tear him limb from limb! He'd paint the ground red with his blood and who'd be the top dog then? The boy forced himself to calm down; that time his rage had entered his posture as a slight trembling and he saw that the masked man had noticed.

What had the Old Man Hokage said about rage? It was a key point in that one story where a Hokage had been personally betrayed by a close friend and rival. Oh yeah, the rage of the Hokage must be three things. His rage must be cold, it must be swift, and it must be legendary in scale. The boy knew his dream was still many, many moons away, so he'd have to settle for two out of three. His rage would be cold and swift.

With this nugget of wisdom in mind, Naruto felt the burning rage in his mind recede, only to be replaced by a cold clarity filled with purpose. He would do his best to kill the man before him, but the overall objective would be to take those silver bells for himself. As this realization came to the boy, he saw that the way Kakashi held himself had changed in some indescribable way, but he could not place the change. The Jounin still appeared relaxed almost to the point of inattention. His posture did not shift in any way, offensive or defensive in purpose. He held an orange book in hand that was not there prior to his announcement of the beginning of the Bell Test.

Kakashi readied himself to fight as Naruto's rage subsided and was replaced with a wave of killing intent strong enough to set most Chunin at unease. In other words, by the Jounin's standards, the killing intent was laughably weak. It was comparable to a mouse attempting to intimidate a tiger by glaring at it. He focused on the Genin rather than his glorious novel anyway, because brushing off that level of killing intent could be disastrous, even for one of Kakashi's skill level if he were to be careless.

The boy unsheathed a second kunai and brandished both knives at Kakashi before charging at him with a linear assault yet again. The Jounin did nothing to stop Naruto as he pretended to read his book. The first attack was a slash at Kakashi's left knee that missed by a mile when he suddenly pivoted. Naruto turned on a dime and slipped between Kakashi's legs, hoping to wreak some havoc on the tender, unprotected flesh that lay there within easy reach.

To strike at one's unprotected underside is a common tactic among those who are used to fighting opponents larger than themselves. This allows them to easily cripple a foe that could crush them in a single hit otherwise. Or at least that's the idea; Kakashi was much too agile to allow such potentially debilitating strikes to connect.

Deciding that Naruto's tactics were about as sound as they could be despite missing the entire point of the test, Kakashi allowed him to make another move rather than immediately disabling the Genin for long enough to move on to testing Sakura or Sasuke, who were still hiding just out of sight. He mentally deducted some points from his measure of their aptitude. They merely sat in their hiding spots and watched as their teammate duked it out with a vastly superior opponent. Even if they were just using Naruto to test the waters, the other Genin could have used this time to begin setting up some sort of trap for later.

Kakashi evaded yet another swipe of Naruto's kunai, this time grabbing the boy by his arm and throwing him into the stream for his efforts. The blond child was vicious, and certainly capable of fighting with intent to kill, but there was very little forethought in any of his moves. His every slash had aimed to slice open Kakashi's vitals, tendons, and other tender, lightly protected areas. The boy made few feints, no area denial attacks, and made no attempts to snatch a bell.

He glanced towards Sakura and felt the fear and anxiety in her chakra as she lay prone in wait. As a Genin fresh from the Academy, the girl had no knowledge of how to suppress one's chakra for stealth purposes, or any purposes actually. It was not her fault really; most children her age do not have access to that particular knowledge.

One exception to that line of thinking would be Sasuke, who hid in the treetops clearly envisioning himself as a hunter of prey. As the heir to the formerly prestigious Uchiha Clan, he had access to a wealth of knowledge that others did not. Even more so since he was the only Uchiha left. His chakra was fairly well suppressed, but Kakashi was a man who had fought thousands of shinobi that were better than a somewhat talented child. Sasuke may as well have been shooting fireworks to declare his position to the Jounin.

Naruto had not done anything in a while, in fact he had not even surfaced from the stream. No bubbles surfaced to indicate that he was still under. Many shinobi utilized special breathing techniques and jutsu to extend their ability to remain underwater, but Naruto would not know of any of them. Just as that thought crossed Kakashi's mind, a pale body broke the surface of the water, and hung there blue lipped and drowned.

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Sakura had not known that Naruto was capable of such killing intent, or that he could fight with such relentless tenacity and skill. She also never dreamed that he could be defeated and killed so casually, hopeless loser or not.

Before she realized what she was doing, Sakura had leaped out from under her bushes to attack a Jounin, a teacher, in defense of the boy that she considered little more than a daily annoyance. For a single moment, she stood in the defense of someone who was a constant in her life; a friend, one might say.

And then Kaka-that **murderer** turned to face her, and she froze like a deer in the headlights. It dawned on Sakura that the Jounin had just effortlessly killed Naruto, someone who most likely outclassed her in physical strength, and probably skill as well if she were to think about it objectively. Attempting to avenge Naruto in such a careless manner would most likely only end with her own premature death.

So in short, Sakura ran, not retreated, ran. She would have to collaborate with Sasuke to defeat that monster; there was no way she could do it on her own. Now that she had retreated behind the tree line, the only thing standing between the pinkette and Kakashi was a single, hastily prepared trip wire that would fling a hail of three kunai when sprung. It was a woefully inadequate defense in hindsight.

Among all of the equipment she brought with her to this so called 'survival training' Sakura possessed a single explosive tag. It was the only one she owned, and the only one she had thought that she would need. You know, for emergency purposes only. Oh, how wrong she had been. Sakura's parents hadn't been okay with the thought of their daughter owning high explosives, and frankly, before today she had felt uncomfortable with owning explosive tags too. She had felt uneasy being trusted with something so dangerous. Now, not so much. Sakura felt that explosives were the only thing in her arsenal of abilities that had even a ghost of a chance of actually killing her so called 'Jounin sensei.'

She had one tag, and one shot. The Genin had to make absolutely sure that it would connect. It was the only shot she had at avenging her… friend.

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Sasuke decided that he had seen enough. Naruto could not have drowned. He was the rival of the Last Uchiha, and nobody who held such a distinction would die so easily. This was clearly some sort of ploy to allow the orange clad Genin to disengage from direct combat from the clearly superior Jounin.

After seeing a surprising level of skill from his rival and a very brief show of bravery from his most timid fangirl, Sasuke decided that he needed to pull back from his lofty position in the treetops in order to begin preparing for his own inevitable clash with Hatake Kakashi, and he had just the clearing in mind…

XXXXXXXXXX

Kakashi stood by the tree in the center of the central clearing. He had dealt with the drowned Naruto Bunshin and had allowed the boy to vanish for now. He had thought the girl would surprise him when she had leapt from her hiding spot under the bushes, but she had retreated when faced with the prospect of facing a clearly superior opponent all by herself. Sasuke had also left his spot in the trees, most likely to set up some sort of arena to fight him and rig it with all sorts of traps in attempt to shift the fight into his favor.

Kakashi suppressed a sigh as he turned the page in his glorious novel. Sakura had the test figured out, even if it was because she felt herself to be weak, rather than because she was thinking of the team. Naruto may or may not have it figured out, but Sasuke hadn't even begun to put together the correct solution to the Bell test. If they pull themselves together, this team might just have the teamwork that Kakashi has been looking for all these years. They just have to get their heads out of their asses first.

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Author's note:

The bell test is taking longer than I thought. I would go ahead finish it out this chapter, but I feel that it has been too long since I have updated, and this is a good place to stop. I would've gotten this done sooner, but you know, college gets busy around this time of year. I'm not going to be writing much fanfiction when I got research papers to write.

Also, for those wondering why Sakura is so convinced that Naruto has been killed. Remember, she was lying prone under some bushes at the time. She was close enough to see and hear, but she had a terrible vantage point and could not see that Naruto had used a Bunshin to fake his death. As far as she knows, Kakashi threw Naruto, he hit his head on the riverbed, and then he drowned.

So uh, please read and review, and tune in next time for the thrilling conclusion of the Bell test!

Ebony Moon Blade


	6. Chapter 6

Without Kage Bunshin

Chapter 6: Purpose of a Test

Sakura's strong suit is in her academics, and she knows it. This does not do her much good because a bit of book smarts aren't going to be enough to kill the man who had killed one of her friends so effortlessly, no matter how annoying he can be. Come to think of it, Naruto had been the closest thing that she had to a real friend. She had distanced herself from what few friends she had in pursuit of Sasuke, who is the most important person in her heart, next to her parents.

Naruto was different. He had forced himself into her life despite her vehement and occasionally violent protests. When she wasn't attempting to flirt with Sasuke or studying, most of Sakura's time had been spent dealing with Naruto. Whether she was chastising him for hitting on her in front of everyone in the class, or doing her best not to show that she was amused by his antics, or even when she eagerly awaited his next prank, Sakura spent just as much of her time paying attention to the things Naruto did as she does to the things that Sasuke does.

The last several months had been one the dullest times of her life. Naruto had buckled down and studied so hard to pass the Genin Exam that he stopped pranking all together. The annoying and entertaining things he usually did were brought down to a minimum and for the most part Sakura had enjoyed the peace and quiet, but a small part of her really had missed their bantering. That was the primary reason that Sakura had no complaints for having her number one pain in the butt be on her team and potentially ruin her chances of hooking up with Sasuke. She had hoped that once he no longer felt the need to spend all of his time studying, that things would go back to the way it used to be.

But no, Naruto had been killed and no matter how much she had been annoyed with his very presence in life, Sakura would miss him in death. She felt that it was her duty to kill the man who had killed her friend, and she had one shot. Her single explosive tag.

According to her textbooks, exploding tags were best used as stunning weapons because they have no shrapnel. Without flying bits of molten metal flying about at near supersonic speeds, an explosion is relatively easy to evade for a shinobi. The concussive force however, extended past the area of instant, fiery death. If she could get Naruto's murderer caught in the concussive wave, he would most likely be addled enough to sneak in a killing blow.

Ever since she had run away from Naruto's murderer, Sakura had been setting up her trap and it was just about ready. She had found not quite a clearing, but an area that was more lightly wooded than the rest of the forest. The Genin had made an extensive web out of the one thing that she had in abundance; razor wire. With wire webbing spread throughout the surrounding area, she would be able to herd Kakashi into the target zone, an area about five meters in diameter that was completely devoid of plant life. Surrounding this area, Sakura had set up a wide array of traps that, once triggered, would pepper the target area with the grand majority of her kunai and shuriken. In the largest tree nearby, the Genin had grouped all the triggers for her traps next to a substitution log. Attached to the log was her exploding tag.

Just as the girl was laying the finishing touches on the triggering mechanism for her traps, she heard someone emerge from the forest and land behind her. In an instant, she abandoned her work and lashed out with the kunai she had been to cut lengths of wire at who she assumed to be the evil proctor of this 'test.' Instead of seeing the standard Jounin uniform of Konoha as she heard the ring of steel on steel, she saw a familiar shade of orange that she thought she'd never see again.

"Naruto, don't bother me! Can't you see I'm busy?" Sakura instinctively snapped. She turned her attention back to her wires for a moment before twitching and turning to face the orange clad Genin.

Sakura blinked, and then she blinked again and stared as if she was seeing a ghost. That was Naruto on the other side of her perch in the tree. He looked muddy and soaked, but otherwise in tip top condition. "But I saw you get killed," she blurted out.

Naruto stared in incomprehension for a second before replying. "I got better." He said that as if it answered everything.

"But you drowned! I saw it with my own two eyes." The girl had yet to come to terms with the fact that the boy that she saw right before her eyes was in fact, alive and well.

"I walked it off." Naruto was wearing a full blown grin by this point.

It finally started to click for Sakura that she had fallen hook, line, and sinker for a simple Bunshin trick meant to distract Kakashi, whom she decided maybe wasn't such a complete monster after all. She fell to her knees and began to giggle hysterically.

Naruto chuckled, not only had he managed to evade Kakashi, but he had also made Sakura laugh in the process. The girl he liked thought he was funny! Maybe she would even consent to a date if they were successful in the Bell test.

Naruto was so absorbed in his own success, that he was totally unprepared for a fist to the face, courtesy of Sakura. She looked pissed, angrier than she had been in a long time. "You stupid idiot! I thought you had died! I worried about you! You don't ever fake your death like that ever again! You hear me?" She yelled at him, and for once in his life Naruto was smart enough to shut up and not suggest that the fact that she was concerned for his safety meant that she loved him after all.

After she was done yelling his ear off, Naruto Meekly muttered a 'Yes Ma'am," and asked Sakura about the trap that she was setting up.

"Well, Sensei said that we're supposed to fight him as if we're going to kill him right?" Naruto nodded in response. "What I got here is a wire web that will keep him corralled so that he has to go to that central area over there." Sakura gestured to the target area. "Once he's there, I'll engage him in Taijutsu, but then I'll substitute with this log." She held up the log, making sure that Naruto saw the exploding tag attached. "This will explode in his face and then I'll trigger the traps and he'll be riddled with kunai and shuriken." She grinned, obviously proud of her plan.

Naruto whistled. "Wow, I didn't know you could be so vicious, considering how you usually are about using weapons on people."

Sakura made a point of turning away from the boy to hide the fact that she was blushing in mortification. She had absolutely no intention of ever letting Naruto know that she had been planning on avenging his death.

"I don't know why you're using a wire web here, though. It's too wide open to really be effective. I know that I'm smaller than Kakashi, but I could slip through there pretty easily." Naruto commented on the design of the trap.

Sakura bristled in annoyance, she was proud of her setup, damn it! She argued in defense of her design, "But don't the textbooks say that wire webs are good for area denial? This place is wide enough that I can maneuver, but I don't think that an adult could slip through this kind of web."

Naruto shrugged, "I guess, but I think that you're underestimating sensei. He's really fast, and it wouldn't surprise me to see him just jump over you webs. Besides, wire webs are better for making tight spaces inaccessible if you ask me."

The pinkette sighed. "This isn't getting anywhere. I know that I can't beat Kakashi by myself, and you've already tried, and Sasuke's done who knows what. You don't think that he'll really send us all back to the Academy if none of us manage to swipe a bell off of him, do you? I think that all three of us-"

Naruto interrupted her spiel. "Yeah, we need to work together if we want to get a bell at all. Times ticking, and I don't think that the two of us are going to be enough. We need to go find Sasuke before he does something stupid like trying to fight Sensei one on one."

Sakura giggled. "You mean like you did?"

"Shut up." This weak rebuke did nothing to sour the girl's mood, as the sense of normality that she had feared would be gone forever had finally begun to return.

Hidden in the brush not even five meters away, Kakashi smiled in approval. Not that anyone would've noticed even if they had seen him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sasuke was up to his neck in trouble, or dirt actually. His observations from watching Naruto fight Kakashi had been correct. The Jounin was tougher than anyone he had fought to date, and was swift to an almost absurd degree. Also, it was clear that he hadn't really even been trying; only using the most minimal amount of effort to deal with his assault. Overcoming Kakashi would be an excellent milestone in the process of becoming strong enough to eventually kill That Man for his sins.

Sasuke had had time to prepare traps and his battle strategy had been sound. The first thing that he had done when Kakashi had just casually walked into the arena he had prepared and begun testing him was to throw a few shuriken in a seemingly straightforward manner that would cut a trip wire so that it would release a hail of throwing knives. Kakashi had unknowingly dodged the shuriken straight into the line of fire of the knives and was forced to leap out of the way again. This had allowed the boy to throw a roundhouse kick at the masked Jounin from an awkward angle. However, Kakashi's guard had been as impeccable as Sasuke had suspected so he had blocked the Genin's next few attacks in such a way that left Sasuke in the perfect position to snatch a bell.

Sasuke had initially suspected Kakashi's speed to be some sort of Shunshin, but that was not the case. The masked man was just that ridiculously fast. In the time it took Sasuke to touch on of the bells, the Jounin disengaged and moved half a dozen meters in an instant.

The boy came to the conclusion that his main error in that skirmish was in his use of the Goukakyuu no Jutsu, the Grand Fireball Technique. Not having a Plan B after failing to obtain a bell, Sasuke had spat a large stream of fire at Kakashi without considering the consequences. The Jounin had used the fire as a smokescreen to cover his use of whatever digging jutsu he had used to bury the Genin up to his neck. After having lectured the boy on the careless use of jutsu, Kakashi had left Sasuke to rot.

The boy snapped out of his musings at the sound of a familiar obnoxious laughter. Naruto had just arrived and was very clearly physically holding himself back from rolling around on the ground at the hilarity he found in Sasuke's predicament.

Moments later, Sakura emerged from the same place in the tree line as Naruto had. She looked like she was about to berate the orange clad Genin for running ahead of her, but then she spotted Sasuke and froze, obviously disturbed and slightly unsure of what exactly she was seeing.

Naruto finally managed to pull himself together somewhat and walked over to Sasuke. Letting loose a few more snickers, Naruto began making jokes at the buried boy's expense. "You look like a little shrub, Sasuke. Hey Sakura, do you think he'll grow back into a normal sized Sasuke if we water him?"

Thankfully the girl put a premature end to the boy's jokes with a slap to the back of the head, and demands for him to be nicer to Sasuke. Once they had settled down, it didn't take long for them to dig Sasuke out of his hole.

Once the Uchiha was freed, he waved Sakura off of him. He didn't have any wounds that needed attended to, and even if he did, Sasuke was well enough that he could bandage himself. As he stood up to head off, Sasuke noticed that Naruto was standing in his way with a confrontational, though not battle ready stance.

"Where are ya going, Sasuke? You gonna go get your butt kicked by sensei again?" How unusual. Naruto doesn't typically taunt like that. Not unless he's leading into something.

Sasuke gave his trademark smirk, "No, I going to get a bell this time. I've already touched one once; it won't take too much more work to take one for real."

Sakura looked impressed, but Naruto just snorted, "Almost isn't good enough. It just means that sensei will be even more on guard next time." He pointed at Sasuke, "I don't think you're good enough to take a bell. You'll just get planted again."

Sasuke bristled in anger. How dare that dobe dismiss his achievements! It's not like he had done any better! "Oh yeah, and what's that opposed to having to run away like some cowardly, drowned, little street rat?"

Naruto twitched. Sasuke had just pressed on several nerves and he wasn't gonna let that go! "Bastard! I bet you've already used up your whole bag of tricks, too!" He glanced around the battleground and saw the knives, shuriken, wires, and the scorched crater where shot his fireball.

By this point, both boys were just about nose to nose and looked just about ready to start slugging each other. "Dobe! You didn't even-"

"SHUT UP!" Sakura screamed. She had been trying to break up the argument this entire time, but the boys had overridden her to the point of not even noticing her protests, but now she had their attention. And now she was keenly aware of the fact that if a fight broke out between the two boys, it was highly unlikely that Sakura would actually be able to stop them. The girl felt increasingly awkward as Naruto and Sasuke continued to stare at her as if she had grown a second head.

"Um, hi." Sakura murmured timidly. She hadn't ever broken up an argument between Naruto and Sasuke before; in fact nobody other than the Academy instructors had ever managed it before. She had always sided with her beloved in the past, not even if she felt that Naruto was in the right. The pinkette wasn't used to being the center of attention, at least not like this. "Erm, don't we have a test to be doing?"

Naruto and Sasuke blinked and then turned to face each other as if to confirm that they were seeing what they thought they were seeing. Neither of them had ever seen Sakura be anything less than completely demure regarding Sasuke.

With the ice broken and the tensions settled, the three Genin began to discuss the prospects of working together to obtain a bell. Sasuke wasn't happy with admitting that he wasn't skilled enough to obtain a bell on his own, but time was running out fast and now wasn't the time to be prideful when their careers were on the line. Pooling together all of their remaining resources they concocted a plan that they were sure would net them the bells.

And then the alarm went off.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Kakashi stood in front of the memorial stone, across from the Genin, each of which was seated at the base of one of the training posts. Each of the Genin looked dejected as he began to pick apart their performance.

The Jounin gave his best disappointed look, "You three ate before the test despite my express order not to. As punishment, none of you will be having lunch today." Only Sakura flinched at this. She felt the hunger pains more keenly than the others due to having skipped multiple meals prior to the test.

"Naruto!" The boy snapped to attention, "You allowed me to manipulate your emotions and then you carelessly attacked me. Had I been an enemy nin, it would not have been so easy for you to have escaped downstream." The boy glared in defiance. He already knew that his first assault had been a mistake.

"Sakura! You watched Naruto battle and lose against a superior opponent and did nothing to support him even though you were right there. Then you carelessly revealed yourself to me! Had I been an enemy, there would have been nothing that could have stopped me from pursuing you." The girl gave Kakashi a cold look. She already felt guilty enough about not helping Naruto, there's no reason to rub it in!

"Sasuke! You were in an even better position to support Naruto and you just let him fight me all by himself just to test the waters. Then you ran off to go do your own thing even though you knew there was a good chance that I would target Sakura for revealing herself." The boy winced. He really had done those things, and he hadn't regretted either. At least not until he had it shoved in his face like this.

"I have decided that none of you will be getting sent back to the Academy. I have decided that you all pass." Kakashi really did have a knack for mood whiplash.

A chorus of 'What?' resounded throughout the training ground. None of the Genin could believe it; they had passed, even though none of them had managed to obtain a bell.

"But why? I mean, I don't want to complain, but none of us got a bell. How did we pass? You just said that we all did terrible!" Sakura struggled to find a way to word her question without shooting herself in the foot.

"The test was never about the bells." Sakura appeared confused, and Sasuke seemed surprised, but Naruto grinned. He piped up after Kakashi nodded to him to speak his mind.

"It was about working together wasn't it? About cooperating to do things that no one person could do by themselves, and not taking you at face value. If all we had thought about was the bells, then we would've failed even if one of us did take one, somehow."

The Jounin paused for a moment, surprised that the class clown had grasped the purpose of the Bell test so thoroughly. He supposed that he shouldn't be too astonished, though. The test had been designed with Obito's, values regarding teamwork in mind. His friend had always been a kindhearted fool, just like Naruto seemed to be.

Kakashi nodded. "That's correct. Shinobi are sent out to do missions in squads. That why individual skills are secondary to teamwork. The Bell test is set up with only two bells to create infighting. Only those who can put the team above themselves deserve to be Genin. Because you have managed that much, you all are better than all the other idiots I have failed. They mindlessly followed my orders and fell into my every trap."

He kneeled before the memorial stone. "A ninja must see through deception and look underneath the underneath. Today, you all have shown the capacity for teamwork and the ability to think for yourselves and that's why you pass." Kakashi stood up to face his team and gave a thumbs up. He shifted into a stance that would later become known as the 'Good Guy Pose.' "Squad Seven starts its first mission tomorrow."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note:

Whew, I feel like I wrote this really quickly, and this one is my longest chapter by far. I promised I would finish the bell test this chapter and I did it. I hope my version of the bell test was different enough for you all. I put a lot of effort into it, and I'm pretty happy with it.

Reader Review Corner:

InARealPickle: Yeah, I could prioritize better, but I feel the need to point out that my chapters are fairly short, only 2000 words each save for this one. This is an experiment in my ability to write perspectives; I will be putting a lot of stuff in my stories that I probably don't have to put in there because people think, they examine things, and they notice things that they don't have to notice.

Unsigned reviewer LSM: I think that you're missing the point. In canon, Kage Bunshin really did save Naruto's life dozens of times over. However, I think that because he spent so much of his time focusing on improving his KB tactics, Naruto missed out on a lot. It isn't that canon Naruto wasn't skillful or creative; it's that KB is so ridiculously good at the beginning of the series that Naruto has absolutely no reason to learn anything else. Really, the only reason Naruto needed the Rasengan at all was so that he could have something that could match the Chidori. It is the perfect jutsu for him and I think that getting KB so early weakened Naruto as a shinobi.

Unsigned reviewer CB: Thank you, good to have you! It's nice to have the main purpose of my fic written out like that. "make Naruto weaker. but in the long run, stronger" indeed.

Flameof a Friend94: Aha, thank you for reviewing again!

Please Read and Review!

Ebony Moon Blade


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